Allan Houser Bronze Sculpture titled “My Child” [SOLD]

“My Child” is a bronze sculpture by Allan Houser, a famous and influential Chiricahua Apache painter and sculptor. Houser began casting bronze sculptures in 1967, but he was not able to devote himself completely to the practice until 1975, when he retired from his teaching position at the Santa Fe Indian School. This piece dates to 1979 and was completed in an edition of 20.

“My Child” is a gorgeous depiction of a Native woman and her child. She cradles the infant gently as she gazes off into the distance. Houser paid careful attention to her face and hair, before opening up to explore his more expressive instincts down below. She wears a long blanket over her shoulders, freeing the artist from obligatory representational work and instead encouraging experimentation. Those who are familiar with Houser’s work know that he did this often, and that each offering is unique and beautiful. “My Child” is a particularly elegant example of one of Allan Houser’s most well-known sculptural styles.

The artist signed Allan Houser on the back near the base, and numbered the piece “7/20” on the side near the base.

Allan Houser (1914-1994) Haozous was a Chiricahua Apache painter, sculptor, teacher, and illustrator whose works are displayed in major museum collections around the world.  Houser was born in 1914 near Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and passed away in 1994. A Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache, he was the great nephew of the famous Chiricahua warrior Geronimo. At the age of 20 he went to study at the Indian School in Santa Fe under the tutelage of Dorothy Dunn. While he excelled at The Studio, he found it confining and constricting creatively.  Houser went on to become successful as a painter, sculptor, and educator.

Today, he is recognized as one of the most successful and accomplished Indian artists of the 20th century.  His works are included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, and many other prestigious institutions.  His many accomplishments include receiving a Guggenheim fellowship and being the first Native American to receive the National Medal of Arts. Through his sculptures, his paintings, and his efforts as an educator, Houser’s voice remains one of the strongest in the world of Native American art.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Allan Houser Bronze Sculpture titled "My Child" is from a private collection, originally purchased in 1980 from The Gallery Wall in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Recommended Reading: ALLAN HOUSER an American Master (Chiricahua Apache, 1914-1994) by W. Jackson Rushing

TAGS: Chiricahua Apache, sculpture, drawing, paintings, wood carving, Native Art, Allan Houser, Haozous, Chiricahua Apache Artist